Lydia Lucia

I have always been fascinated with aviation but it wasn’t until I participated in the Wright Flight program in 2001 that I fell in love with flying and saw it as a potential career. As a senior in high school I applied and got accepted to many flight schools. I then decided to go to Westfield State College. I joined the Aviation Management program in 2007, spring of my freshman year, and right away saw the advantages of receiving not only my desired flight training, but also earning a degree in Business Management. The school’s affiliation with Five Star Flight Academy has only added to my academic and flying success. Its small size, friendly and professional instructors, combined with the small class size at Westfield State has allowed for more personalized training based around my strengths and weaknesses.

Receiving this individualized training has helped me better understand the material and increased my passion to fly. Accomplishing my Private pilot license in August of 2007 and my Instrument rating in March of 2008, with just over 110 hours of flight time, I am working towards my commercial and instructor ratings. I have also gotten a broad view of the industry from a business prospective as well as opportunities to explore specific areas of interest. For me, that included an internship with the Federal Aviation Administration in Atlanta, Georgia summer of 2008, where I acquired real-world experience and valuable contacts. I am excited about all the business, flying, and instructing possibilities that are available because of this program, and I can’t wait to see where I end up as a result.